Residents return to survey damage after fire at north Edmonton apartments

Residents of a north Edmonton apartment building returned to see if anything could be saved after fire tore through the building on Tuesday.

Amine Tabza said he’s grateful his family is OK after a fire tore through their north Edmonton apartment building, though he may have lost everything.

Tabza is one of 252 people who were displaced by a fire that broke out at the Wyndham Crossing apartments near 50 Street and 134 Avenue on Tuesday.

He said he was at work when it started but rushed home after his wife, who was at home with their one-and-a-half-year-old daughter, called to let him know.

“When she saw the fire and the smoke she was scared, it was crazy,” Tabza said. “I was scared, too, because I don’t know what happened exactly until I get here.”

The fire started in a unit on the second floor and moved upward. Tabza said he watched it spread quickly across the roof after he arrived.

“The wind was blowing really, really hard,” he added. “The whole thing just got on fire and the smoke was crazy.”

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Edmonton Fire Rescue Services Capt. Kevin Espetveidt said it was a difficult fire to tackle due to windy conditions and the fact that many residents were trapped by the thick smoke.

“As soon as you get in, you want to put water on the flames but you have to get the people and the pets out first,” he said.

Crews worked overnight Tuesday and the fire was officially extinguished at 6:30 a.m. the next morning.

Significant damage and destroyed units could be seen to the fourth floor. Espetveidt said units not damaged by fire or smoke would likely be damaged by water.

Tabza immigrated to Canada just over five years ago. He said his wife managed to grab important documents on her way out of the building, but there’s no word yet on what remains of the rest of the family’s things.

“We don’t know the damage, because we’re not allowed to access (our apartment),” he said. “We’re still waiting.”

Despite not knowing if anything can be saved, he said things could be worse.

“What really matters is our health. My wife, she’s good, my two daughters – that’s the most important,” he said.

“I have big support from everybody, my manager, my friends, my team (at work),” he said. “Even if you lost everything, (if you) still have people, that’s the most important.”

One person was taken to hospital on Tuesday and at least one pet was killed.

There is no word yet on how many units were destroyed and the cost of the damage.

The cause of the fire remained under investigation.